22 Nov, 2011

Raise Your Voice with Activism: Lesson 3- Social Media

By |2021-08-19T17:33:44-04:00November 22nd, 2011|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: , |0 Comments

This is part three in a 4-part series where I share strategies that you can become more familiar with when it comes to activism: lobbying, writing campaigns and action alerts, using social media, and rallies/demonstrations. If you’ve read any of my other blog posts (and I thank you if you have been), you know that I’m all about sexual/reproductive wellness and rights, but I believe that these tips can be used for a variety of causes. Feel free to focus on the tips throughout the coming weeks that inspire you the most and what makes the most sense for your cause. 

Last week, we discussed tips for writing letters to the editor and to policy makers, and participating in political action alerts. These strategies involved different tactics, but together they each bring about one key result: taking quick action. This week, we’ll be discussing an even quicker way to get your message across: using social media. Social media has risen in prominence within the last decade, and many users are utilizing this medium for a variety of purposes. Today’s lesson is on showing how social media has changed the face of activism, how you can utilize it for your cause.

So what is “social media”?

If you ask 5 people what their definition of social media is, you’ll probably get 5 different answers. I think of social media as a platform of a variety of networks in which people and organizations share information, content, and other interests. There’s a lot of social networking sites , but most people are familiar with these: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (These are the ones that I use the most.)

I’m going to make the assumption that you are either using the mentioned sites or are at least familiar with them, so I won’t go into the differences among these networks. (If you’re not familiar, click on the links and find out what they’re all about!) I use each for different purpose: I have a private Facebook account for friends and family, a Facebook business page, a Twitter account for networking and connecting with followers/friends, and a LinkedIn profile for connecting with former classmates and colleagues for consulting opportunities.

The ones I used the most to get the word out about different causes are Facebook and Twitter. And it looks as though many people around the world are doing the same. From Occupy Wall Street, to the execution of Troy Davis, to the Arab Spring, people are sending out updates and messages at a thousand tweets and Facebook status updates a minutes (and that’s just my personal estimate). Let’s go over the pros and cons concerns of using social media as a form of activism:

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15 Nov, 2011

Raise Your Voice with Activism: Lesson 2- Writing Campaigns & Action Alerts

By |2021-08-19T17:33:19-04:00November 15th, 2011|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: , |0 Comments

This is part two in a 4-part series where I will share strategies that you can become more familiar with when it comes to activism: lobbying, writing campaigns and action alerts, using social media, and rallies/demonstrations. If you’ve read any of my other blog posts (and I thank you if you have been), you know that I’m all about sexual/reproductive wellness and rights, but I believe that these tips can be used for a variety of causes. Feel free to focus on the tips throughout the coming weeks that inspire you the most and what makes the most sense for your cause. 

Last week, we touched on tips for lobbying elected officials. I wanted to start off with that one first because it tends to be the most daunting of the various strategies we can use to getting voices heard. This week’s tips are just as important, but I think it’s easier to get into for many people, and you don’t have to be an activist to do it! This week, we’re discussing tips for writing letters to the editor and to policy makers, and participating in political action alerts. These strategies involved different tactics, but together they each bring about one key result: taking quick action!

Letters to the Editor- Writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine is a great way to get your message out to your community, as well as to local officials that support your cause (or don’t!). Here are some tips to consider:

  • Keep it short– Just like with lobbying, make sure you stay on topic. However, unlike with lobbying, be as concise as possible. Shorter letters increase your chances of actually being published.
  • Announce yourself- Let’s say there was an article discussing mothers with a history of sexual assault who experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that you felt did not speak to your experience and relied heavily on stigma. Inform the editor that you are a mother who has experience PTSD after childbirth. Example: “I am a sexual assault survivor and new mother who recently gave birth, and I experience PTSD as the result of traumatic child labor.”
  • State the facts– If you have statistics on mothers who experience PTSD as a result of child birth (especially if they are stats from your age or racial/ethnic group), be sure to add them. An example would be: “Of more than 900 U.S. mothers surveyed, 9% screened positive for meeting all of the formal criteria for PTSD set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-IV, a handbook of mental-health conditions.”

[article source]

  • Invite others– If it applies, encourage other people in your community to raise more awareness about what you’re discussing. Be sure to add your contact information so that others may be able to contact you to connect and build on creating awareness.
  • Finish strong- The two sentences that stand out the most are your opening sentence and your closing sentence. Take the time to connect your closing sentence to your opening sentence by stating again why it was important for you to write.
  • Do it now– Submit your letter to the editor at least 2 days after the original publication. At the beginning of your letter, you can state: “I am writing in response to your article about mothers and post-traumatic stress disorder (insert title of article, and date it was originally published)”.

Letters to Policy Makers- The tips above for writing to the editor also can apply to writing a letter to a policy maker. While writing to an editor can help to create awareness about a particular cause, writing to a policy maker is equally as important because the job of a policy maker is to listen to the voices of their constituents and to support laws that their constituency are for. Here are tips more tailored to writing to a policy maker:

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8 Nov, 2011

Raise Your Voice with Activism: Lesson 1- Lobbying

By |2021-08-19T17:32:36-04:00November 8th, 2011|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: , |0 Comments

This is a 4-part series where I will share a strategy that you can become more familiar with: lobbying, writing and media campaigns, using social media, and rallies/demonstrations. If you’ve read any of my other blog posts (and I thank you if you have been), you know that I’m all about sexual/reproductive wellness and rights, but I believe that these tips can be used for a variety of causes. Feel free to focus on the tips throughout the coming weeks that inspire you the most and what makes the most sense for your cause.

 

Originally posted for The Pro-Choice Public Education Project

Revised November 8, 2011

Today, the state of Mississippi will vote on Amendment 26 (aka, the Personhood Amendment), an amendment that, if passed, will give the legal rights of a person to an unborn fetus, thereby banning all abortion, and likely banning forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization. This could be a huge win for the pro-choice movement, or a really huge loss.

People across the country have been organizing to educate Mississippians (and people in many states in which similar bills are set to be introduced in their states) about how this amendment will become a detriment to women and their families if passed. When it comes to sexual and reproductive rights, it’s important for women, especially women of color, to educate ourselves about the laws and policies that are passed and/or taken away by our state and federal legislators to ensure that our voices (and our bodies) are protected.

With all the excitement in the air about the 2012 election season, I wanted to share my tips on ways that you can become move committed to the process of creating change in your community.  And Lesson 1 is a doozy, often because it can be very intimidating.

Get your pens, paper, and laptops ready to take notes on Lesson 1: lobbying.

Lobbying is the act of speaking with local and federal public policy decision-makers in an effort to gain their support for current legislative laws or new bills that are in favor of what you feel citizens will want. The word “lobby” comes from the idea that advocates would stand in the lobbies of their representatives and senators and push to have people support their issues. In other words, lobbying is about getting people to do what you want. The more persuasive you are, the better the chances of having more laws that will reflect positively on the group of individuals you’re representing.

Who Do Lobbyists Target?

Lobbyists target political legislators, people that we vote into state and local office. For federal leaders, they are elected to represent their home state as legislators in Washington, DC. They become members of Congress, and are either a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate. For state legislators, they are elected to represent their county or district, and are also a member of their state’s House or Senate.

What is a Legislator?

A legislator has many roles- lawmaker, a representative of her/his state or local government, and an overseer of the interests of her/his national and state citizens. As a lawmaker, legislators propose, study, discuss, and vote on legislation to become law as well as modify or completely eliminate current laws. As a representative, legislators serve her/his constituents (citizens) at the federal or state level. Federal legislators serve as liaisons between their state and Washington, DC, and state legislators serve as liaisons between their county/district and their local government. As overseers, legislators make sure that the laws are being carried out according to their legislative intent.

What Does the Legislative Process Involve?

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31 Oct, 2011

Guest Post: B is for Baby…C is for Crazy

By |2021-08-19T17:32:02-04:00October 31st, 2011|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: , |0 Comments

 

This week, I am bringing to you a wonderful piece by my friend and awesome mommy, Candace Salim, founder and expert connector for MNGR Consulting . I’m really excited that Candace expressed interest in sharing her voice and birthing experience. Be sure to follow Candace on Twitter . 

It’s the beginning of the end…of that long, seemingly 2-year pregnancy you’ve been dealing with. The Braxton-Hicks contractions, the rolly-polly move you have to do to get out of bed to pee again, and most importantly the mood swings! Yes, the way our moods swing, jump, and pounce during pregnancy can really change our perceptions of life and the ways that people perceive us. But, despite all of the hormone-driven feelings that we endure, we are still ourselves. Before being a Mommy-to-be, we were career-driven and successful. We were intelligent and assured…people actually listened to us! However, towards the end of our third trimester, most people see us as bumbling idiots who are obviously dealing with some imaginary mental condition called pregnancy. And, in that, many people take that to mean that we are incompetent and enraged (especially after a 24-hour labor process) so they have to make our decisions for us towards the end. But wait *record scratch* when did our partners, our Mothers, and the hospital staff become experts on OUR bodies? Despite the fact that during my 36-hour labor, I was practically blowing great balls of fire while in the birthing center, I was desperately trying to let those around me know that I was actually still coherent enough to make my own decisions. But, in a show of “expertise”, the nurses took my well drawn out birthing plan that I’d neatly written in my school teacher hand writing on a large note pad and threw it out of the room. Apparently, they didn’t need any help or advice from me. In our day and age, if you’ve yanked one baby out of a womb, you’ve yanked ‘em all and the Mother should just sit there and enjoy her happy drug aka “The Epidural” aka “The Big Needle Thingy In Your Back”.

So, what’s a first-time Mother to do when one of the most intensely beautiful days of her life is suddenly swarmed with bright lights, drone machine sounds, and IVs?

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25 Oct, 2011

Teens, Sex Tapes & Why We’ve Got to Do Better

By |2021-08-19T17:31:11-04:00October 25th, 2011|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: |0 Comments

 

I’m not sure how to begin this post. So, I’ll start by asking some questions:

1) Why would an adult want to watch a child performing a sexual act on tape?

2) Have you ever performed a sexual act on someone? (and)

3) Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were not taped in the process?

4) Why do we know the name of the young girl…but not the names of the young boys who set her up?

5) She asked if being called “supa head 2” was considered a good or bad thing?

These were some of the questions I had as I read up on internet articles, Facebook, and Twitter on the incident involving a 14-year-old young girl who was secretly videotaped performing oral sex on a classmate. If you’re not sure what it is I’m referring to, click here, here, here, and also here.

At first, I didn’t want to write a post on this, but I decided to wait until now to do so. But it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m angry. I’m angry because another young woman of color somehow got into a sad predicament that could have potentially ruined her life. I’m angry because I saw grown people searching for the footage to watch (Isn’t that child pornography?) I’m angry because I’m also saw grown people (including women) calling this child a hoe, slut and every other name in the book for doing something that (I’m 99.999% sure) these adults have done before only they may have believed they weren’t being taped while doing it. I’m angry because the mainstream media is not focusing on this story more and it probably doesn’t resonate with mainstream America because this child doesn’t have blond hair and blue eyes. I’m angry because this is another example of what could potentially happen when our young girls go looking for validation in the arms of boys that don’t care about them. I’m angry at everyone who thinks this situation is funny. I’m angry at just how much this story lives up to the double standards: that boys will be boys and that girls are “just supposed to know better”. I’m also angry because I do feel sorry for these boys as well. They may not be called the hurtful names as this young woman is being called, but they too are being exploited.

What is the solution here? What can we do as adults to decrease the likelihood of incidences like this from occurring in the future? For one, we can stop sending mixed messages to young people about sex and sexuality. We can put the blame all we want on the media, rappers, models, music, videos, pop culture, social media, and magazines all we want, but young people are looking to the adults in their lives on how to behave.

My answers to the questions? :

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